New acting boss takes turn at WORC
(CNS): Laura Watler has been appointed as the new Acting Interim Director of Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC), as Jeremy Scott, the previous holder of the post, resumes his duties as deputy director of compliance, leading the effort to enforce the laws. Watler is on secondment to the beleaguered agency from the Portfolio of the Civil Service. Despite promises from the previous premier, Alden McLaughlin, that the transition from immigration department to WORC would be much more than a name change, the department which deals with the fundamental conflicts inherent in Cayman’s labour market continues to spark criticism.
Watler, who will be the third person to head up the agency since it was created in January 2019, is one of several recent Caymanian hires as a part of a new management team. Marshiene Juman will be the new head of customer care, joining the civil service from Health City Cayman Islands, and Allison Lovinggood has been appointed as training and development manager, according to a release from the department.
WORC’s National Training and Development unit also added programme coordinators Allison Anglin, Sheena Whittaker and Kandie Hurlston-Ruiz, who now have the responsibility to provide planning and implementation of programme activities that support specialised employment programmes. The Employment Services unit also added to their team, which will now be managed by Tania Ebanks, bringing the total number of officers and managers who assist Caymanians in finding employment to nine.
Ministry of Employment and Border Control Chief Officer Wesley Howell said, “With these appointments, the mission of WORC continues, which is to provide opportunities for Caymanian workers, ensuring that Caymanian owned businesses have the human resources necessary to aid in their success, thereby, strengthening the economy and global competitiveness of the Cayman Islands.”
Watler, who holds a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from the University of Surrey, was instrumental in a wide range of initiatives resulting from the pandemic. This included being seconded to Hazard Management Cayman Islands as the NEOC Operations Liaison Officer, where she worked with almost every department or authority in some capacity during the 100 days it was in operation. She was also seconded to the Strategic Reforms Implementation Unit to assist with the Soft Border Reopening Programme and the critical projects of the Quarantine at Residence Programme, which included the Technology, Monitoring and Compliance Teams.
As WORC’s new temporary boss, she will be facing a significant challenge, given the recent increase on local unemployment due to the challenges presented by the pandemic but with over 24,000 work permits in operation.
“I welcome and look forward to working with the entire WORC team and especially with the passionate, driven and inspiring recently hired Caymanian women as we continue forward with the vision and mission of WORC in enabling employment for Caymanians whilst equally ensuring economic prosperity for our Islands,” Watler said in a release about the new jobs.
The release said that Juman “is responsible for providing leadership, developing and implementing the Civil Service Customer Pledge DELIVER and related strategic plans to manage and continually improve and deliver outstanding customer care for both internal and external customers”.
Lovinggood will primarily be responsible for developing, coordinating and delivering quality training programmes to equip staff at all levels effectively. She will offer supervisory and support to Administrative staff to achieve and maintain the required competency levels.
Officials also said an open and transparent recruitment exercise for the director of WORC will be conducted soon.
See the full release here.
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Category: Government Administration, Jobs, Local News, Politics
Very little will get done. More painted parking blocks with big job titles! which means no parking for those who need help so they become frustrated and leave ! Amazing how government works Eh?
That photo op is something else!
What does that mean exactly? Re: the photo op
I would like to know how much Govt and all the SAGI’s spend on embroidered shirts every year for their thousands of employees, including new batches every time a department changes it’s name, or a civil servant switches jobs. I would also like to know which civil servant owns the company that provides these shirts.
Make an FOI request and they will have to give you that info.
Bullshit. Time and time again they ignore the law (and any law they want to) with impunity.
No, that is commercially sensitive information
They’re not supposed to do their job….merely give impression the government is working on it while collecting the fees.
What joke! Who is really behind this foolishness? People with absolutely no experience in Immigration law or procedures. Training Who? Directing Who? and customer Care? Employment Daycare center WoRC Renamed to EDC
Oh dear ! More chiefs than Indians to shuffle work. Why in the world are they expanding an already bloated department with people who have absolutely no working knowledge of immigration laws and procedures or problems. Who will no doubt complicate the WORC situation even further WTF??? Everyday day I am shuffling everyday I am shuffling! This is one big ClusterF%@! But it explains this whole photo Op business we see here?
Rename Cayman Brac as the land of lies deception and open permits. Only the lucky charm buddies are successful
Good job Angels . Now straighten that place up for us.
Chuckies Angels? 😂😭🙈
I waited months and months just to get a photocopy of one page from my immigration file. I emailed and called constantly and finally had to get Franz Manderson involved and then I got what I needed.
I doubt these ladies will be able to change anything.
#1 They know nothing about immigration. You need to be competent in the area you are working in to be an effective leader.
#2 They are coming in with guns blazing trying to change things overnight and staff already hate them so there will be too much resistance and nothing will change. Don’t get me wrong, the place needs change but if you use a sledge hammer to drive in a finishing nail you are going to have issues.
#3 A good leader knows their staff and promotes their welfare. Again, these gals want to make a splash (embarrassing photo case in point) and impress their bosses rather than truly wanting to know the people they lead and how they can assist them in accomplishing their mission and ensure they have the support and tools they need to be effective.
If you are at the top you are a leader, not a manager and there is a big difference.
This was a very poor hiring decision amd sadly WORC will continue to suck and the leadership will be changed rather quickly again thus further disenfranchising staff thereby decreasing performance even further.
I am confused. Why does this agency keep shuffling the deck? This is such a vital Department and it seems like they’re taking turns at the wheel and we just end up going in circles. I don’t know Ms. Watler however, Jeremy was the ideal person as he has that Immigration knowledge and background and there are lots of issues stemming from when there was an “Immigration Department”. We URGENTLY need to hear what are the plans for unemployed Caymanians? How do you plan to curtail the granting of work permits? How do you plan to collect all of those outstanding fees from Residency holders? How do you plan to tackle the ever increasing number of permit holders looking for a job here there and everywhere? When do you plan to work, WORC?
Perhaps Jeremy was ideal but were there things he had no control over? You know how it goes….
His lips were sealed, political tie straps on his brain
No stability since Linda Evans was forced out? What was her settlement? What happened to the higher-ups?
The agency doesn’t shuffle the deck, the ministry does. No government agency has the autonomy to hire its own top level staff.
How about those shuffling the deck getting some scrutiny? The agency can’t be blamed for this.
So we have 9 bosses at WORC but still nobody answers their phone. The Civil Service sprouts Heads in every department at a rate greater the Coca Cola spews it’s cans off the end of it’s production line. Did WORC advertise all their new positions?.
Shut this shit-show down!
No time to answer the phone now ! too busy shuffling worc 🙂
I hope they have a job fair where employers interview people with a commitment to hire within seven days’ from the interview. Over 600 jobs listed in their website, doing nothing. KMT
Did you know they called it “WORC” becasue making it sound too similar to “WORK” would give off the impression the staff actuall do somthing during the day.
Also, the PR & status board are beyond useless.
So can someone answer the damn phone now when I call????
Ain’t gonna happen. How dare you expect value for your taxes? What are you, a hooligan?
Try DLP if you want an example of how and why the phone should not be answered……that office is a real chit show. Go in for help to be told a call would be forthcoming in 24 hours. Don’t hold ya breath…..you WILL most likely have to go back. And you dare not send an email, as they get lost somewhere on the same road that the space station travels. Have not had any dealings with WORC, but I can safely say they are better than DLP in regards to returning calls and/or emails.
Listen carefully, our menu options have changed………. then a list of numbers read off, then you hit the one you want, it rings out then……Listen carefully our menu options have changed…… automated menus are a Godsend to govt departments because it means they never have to put down the pattie to answer the phone.
The whole work permit and employment system in the Cayman Islands has been and continues to be rooted in lies and deception. Nobody wants to make meaningful change as is evident by the fact that nobody wants to acknowledge the realities of the problem and speak to the problem openly and in detail.
So what exactly is Jeremy Scott’s role now?
Deputy Director of Compliance, as it says in the first sentence of the article:
Laura Watler has been appointed as the new Acting Interim Director of Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC), as Jeremy Scott, the previous holder of the post, resumes his duties as deputy director of compliance, leading the effort to enforce the laws.
I, for one, am glad Jeremy stepped down. He is too good of a manager to hold a position where he has no clout. Welcome back!
Side show…
I believe he can probably get more done in this role…not as much red tape….
Thousands of miles of red tape! Get out of Government Jeremy
Please crack down on all these people on construction sites that have work permits in other areas that are not related at all to construction. Also the rampant getting work permits for people that you have no work for but just let them roam around finding work on their own.
Under PPM their focus was collection of w/p fees…not support of Caymanians rights and compliance with the laws/regulations. Hopefully under new leadership they’ll quit hiding behind excuses such as they don’t have legal right to challenge permits or penalize abusers. ENFORCE the regulations people and start by getting rid of the recruiters who exist only to facilitate abuses.
So lots of people with proven and extensive experience in Immigration?
Not one 🙁
I think Laura is or was a ‘life coach’?
Maybe that was why she was given the post, due to her diverse qualifications and accomplishments. Many people have varied interests and pursuits other than their mainstream employment. On another note, what about police officers who run construction companies, hair salons and omnibuses (Taxis), in addition to other various forms of moonlighting.
What the heck is a life coach?
Immigration is a part of the CBC.
Where in hell have you been these past 2 years?
The matter of Immigration is now handled by Customs and Border Control.
And the controls on who can come and who can stay and on what basis, and on opportunities for Caymanians and enforcing our laws? Who is in charge of that?
Does not work that way. If WORC gives you permission you can walk right in. CBC will not stop anyone with WORC permission so it is false to pretend that CBC actually controls who can come in and on what basis.